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Poison Oak
Toxicodendron diversilobum
First posted February 1, 2004 Last updated May 5, 2004
There is very little poison oak at Cazadero, but you may find some if you take a hike outside of camp or go rummaging around in the underbrush. If you can only rememer one thing about poison oak, it should be: If leaves of three, leave it be.
Poison oak is actually not an oak at all (members of the family Quercus must bear acorns), but a member of the cashew family. It (unfortunately) is one of the most widely distributed plants in California, and can be a shrub, a vine, or a free standing bush forming a thicket all by itself. Captain John Smith gave poison ivy its common name in the 1600's due its superficial resemblance to English ivy. It is deciduous (loses its leaves), but during the summer months will have green leaves (seen above at the left) or, later in the summer, green-red leaves (above, right) or frankly (and beautifully, if you stay out of it) red leaves in the fall. Remember: it is widely believed BUT WRONG that poison oak leaves are red. Look at the photographs above. They are actually very beautifully green in the spring and most of the summer, the times you will probably be at camp. They are red only in the fall.
Treatment is directed to removing the "poison" part of poison oak, which is an oil called urushiol. Soap and water is only partly effective, but after being exposed, you must douse yourself immediately with very large amounts of water. The oil will usually bond with the skin in as little as 15 minutes and water will become less effective after that. Soap is probably a good idea, as it breaks the surface tension of the water, but it does not break down the oil or the oil-skin bond.
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